Police find 300 used needles in woodland
HUNDREDS of used hypodermic needles have been found dumped in Huddersfield woodland.
PCSO John Morrison, from West Yorkshire Police, discovered more than 300 hypodermic syringes at Chapel Lane, Moldgreen.
The officer contacted Kirklees Council’s Environmental Health team to arrange an emergency visit to the site.
The council’s Greenspace Action Team (GAT) manager, Sam Connelly, said: “Our rangers filled 12 sharps bins full of discarded and used syringes, many that had been left within easy reach of anyone passing through the woods.
“There really is no excuse for this as it is easy enough to dispose of needles safely rather than putting residents at risk of injury or potentially lethal infections.”
Speaking about the incident, Inspector Graham Dyson of the Kirklees Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “We work closely with partners in Kirklees Council to make communities in Huddersfield safer, and this has been a good example of both agencies working quickly together to identify and take action to combat a clear public health risk.”
“I want to thank partners at the council’s Greenspace Action Team for acting so swiftly to remove these needles.”
This is not the only recent success of the GAT in recent weeks, with enforcement officers recently enjoying a successful run of issuing fixed penalty notices as part of a crackdown on environmental crime, and a successful prosecution last month in response to a fly tipper.
Clr Naheed Mather, the Cabinet Member for Environment, said: “Once again our enforcement officers have shown their and reflected our determination to take a zero-tolerance attitude to anti-social behaviours that impact on our environment.
“So many of our residents take pride in living in Kirklees and do their part in making sure it is a nice, clean, safe place to live. It is such a shame that we have a tiny minority that want to spoil it for the rest.”
Anyone who has information on the dumped needles can contact police on 101 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.